Former media aide to the late President Muhammadu Buhari, Bashir Ahmad, says U.S. President Donald Trump’s true motives in Venezuela are now obvious.

His comments came after Trump revealed that Venezuela’s interim government has agreed to send between 30 million and 50 million barrels of crude oil to the United States, a deal Trump described as beneficial to both countries and said the proceeds would be under his control.

Reacting on X, Ahmad wrote that Trump’s recent military intervention in Venezuela and the removal of Nicolás Maduro have exposed Washington’s real objective in the country.

“It is now evidently clear even to those with limited understanding what President Trump’s objective in Venezuela truly is,” he wrote on X.

Recall that Trump ordered US forces to carry out a military operation in Venezuela on January 3 that led to Maduro’s capture. In the days that followed, Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as the interim president of Venezuela.

The U.S. action has sparked both support and criticism internationally, with reactions varying widely in recent days.